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C. A. Bridges

@cabridges.bsky.social
938 followers 861 following 5K posts

I write things that explain other things for USA TODAY NETWORK in Florida. I also take pictures, mostly for me. My opinions are my own and I only agree with about half of them. He/him.

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C. A. Bridges @cabridges.bsky.social · 5h
Christa Pike received a temporary stay of execution just before she was scheduled to be put to death. Why does that happen so rarely in Florida?
tallahassee.com
Why did Christa Pike get a stay but Florida executions don't?
A federal court halted Christa Pike’s execution hours before it was set to occur. That rarely happens for Florida death row inmates.
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C. A. Bridges @cabridges.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
As I understand it, it also aggravated a lot of fans by not having all the new footage in all theaters. And they didn’t promote new footage much anyway.
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C. A. Bridges @cabridges.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
We don’t generally hear our neighbors much from inside the house. Our yard is pretty tree-heavy, we might hear trucks or heavy yard work, or people on four wheelers, but we don’t hear conversation or kids playing. Just heard, very clearly, “What the HELL?” Not going out there. Nope, nope, nope.
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C. A. Bridges @cabridges.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Thrifting and used-bookstore-browsing the last couple of weeks has produced a fair cross-section of my interests.
A stack of used books. Metatropolis, edited by John Scalzi; How to Write and Sell Imaginative Stories, by the de Camps; The Compleat Ankh-Morpork City Guide, by Terry Pratchett (with map!); Strange Stains and Mysterious Smells, by Terry Jones; 
Griffin & Sabine by Nick Bantok; Groucho and Me (1st edition!) by Groucho Marx; 
a beat up copy of The Annotated Sherlock Holmes Vol. 1; 
Kevin Smith’s Secret Stash (history of his creative works, with physical ephemera stuck in everywhere); 
Queer Youth in Focus; Browser's Dictionary, by John Ciardi; 
Abandoned Places; and Pop Painting by Camilla d’Errico. 
Metatropolis, edited by John Scalzi; How to Write and Sell Imaginative Stories, by the de Camps; The Compleat Ankh-Morpork City Guide, by Terry Pratchett (with map!); Strange Stains and Mysterious Smells, by Terry Jones; 
Griffin & Sabine by Nick Bantok; Groucho and Me (1st edition!) by Groucho Marx; 
a beat up copy of The Annotated Sherlock Holmes Vol. 1; 
Kevin Smith’s Secret Stash (history of his creative works, with physical ephemera stuck in everywhere); 
Queer Youth in Focus; Browser's Dictionary, by John Ciardi; 
Abandoned Places; and Pop Painting by Camilla d’Errico.
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C. A. Bridges @cabridges.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
It was in the high 50s in central Florida this morning. Cue mandatory “Nicholas Cage smiling in the breeze” GIF.
Screenshot of Carrot Weather app showing 59 degree weather. Text says, “You're just checking the weather before you start your walk of shame, aren't you?”
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C. A. Bridges @cabridges.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
The article concedes the loss of monoculture, but still seems scornful if I have not heard a popular song. I don’t listen to radio. Don’t shop in clothing stores. Country pops up in my algorithms occasionally but not often. Most new music comes from son/friend suggestions or movie soundtracks.
rollingstone.com
What Some Folks Really Mean When They Claim to Have Never Heard 'Choosin' Texas'
Claiming to have never heard Ella Langley's record-setting country song 'Choosin' Texas' is similar to saying, 'I listen to anything but country.'
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C. A. Bridges @cabridges.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Teresa is getting a routine procedure this morning. While waiting, we started noticing the poor choices in music playing. Bon Jovi’s “Never Say Goodbye” Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind” When they came to get her we were giggling over the Mike and the Mechanics song about his father dying.
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C. A. Bridges @cabridges.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Florida now reporting 5 deaths this year from Vibrio vulnificus, the "flesh-eating bacteria," while Louisiana reports 7. How you get it, how to avoid it:
heraldtribune.com
Florida's Vibrio vulnificus death toll rises to 5 in latest state update
Florida has reported 23 Vibrio vulnificus cases and five deaths. See where infections have been confirmed and how to avoid infection.
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C. A. Bridges @cabridges.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Is daylight saving time ending this year for good? It's starting to look like we'll be falling back again in November.
news-journalonline.com
Permanent daylight saving time still isn't happening. Here's why
This is the closest the country has come to making daylight saving time permanent since 2022. Here's what can happen.
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C. A. Bridges @cabridges.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
TFW YOU FORGOT TO TURN DOWN THE VOLUME YESTERDAY AND THE 1ST SONG IN YOUR PLAYLIST STARTS WITH DRUMS AND FOR A SECOND YOU THINK YOUVE BEEN SHOT
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C. A. Bridges @cabridges.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Like it’s not already impossible to make a living as an author, now grifters are using the AI programs that stole authors’ works to effortlessly crank out crappy copies and market them directly to the authors’ fanbases.
theatlantic.com
The Rise of Parasite Authors
First, AI stole their books. Now it’s stealing their readers.
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C. A. Bridges @cabridges.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Florida is cracking down on AI use in classrooms, with new rules that prohibit its use for graded college assignments, allow parents to opt their kids out, and ban student use of AI programs that try to be friends with you.
tallahassee.com
Florida students face strict new AI restrictions after board approval
New Florida policies heavily restrict AI use in K-12 schools and state colleges and universities. What's changing for students, parents and teachers.
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C. A. Bridges @cabridges.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
U up? Is it legal to send nudes in Florida? Yes, for consenting adults who keep it private. After that, it gets tricky, with serious jail time.
news-journalonline.com
Is it legal to send nudes in Florida? It depends
Sexting is legal between consenting adults in Florida. Here's when it can become a crime.
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C. A. Bridges @cabridges.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
That’s a hell of a PR pivot. openforlegends.guitarcenter.com/campaign/ope...
openforlegends.guitarcenter.com
Guitar Center Open For Legends
Guitar Center Open for Legends is a brand-new competition series elevating undiscovered musicians to a global platform, beginning with the chance to open for Ed Sheeran at his LOOP Tour show in Mexico...
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C. A. Bridges @cabridges.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
I have just found out that people are using AI to “clean up” the art in Calvin & Hobbes strips and, incidentally, strip them of the power, humor, and artistry of Watterson’s original work. It’s actually a pretty good illustration of the lack of humanity in AI creations. And copyright infringement.
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C. A. Bridges @cabridges.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Saw “Coyote v. Acme.” I liked it, and I have a very, very low tolerance for any WB cartoons featuring the original characters made without Tex Avery, Chuck Jones or Mel Blanc. It was funny, had lots of callbacks, and avoided several missteps that frankly I was expecting.
Wile E. Coyote sits next to his lawyer, played by Will Forte, in a courtroom scene in “Coyote vs. Acme.”
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C. A. Bridges @cabridges.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
I’m sure it’s cool and amazing and useful, but I’m not ready to drop $2,000 on a phone just yet.
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Catherynne M. Valente @catvalente.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
The thing is, even within the lifespan of the mainstream internet, things used to work a LOT more smoothly That was one of the huge arguments FOR mainstreaming the internet Now nothing is smooth. It’s crammed full of monetized barriers between user & task to boost stats & keep eyeballs locked in
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P. Djéli Clark | The Disgruntled Haradrim @pdjeliclark.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
In the original series, the show’s creator, Gene Roddenberry, came up with a philosophy held by the Vulcan people. He called it IDIC: infinite diversity in infinite combinations. It suggests that an ideal society is made up of many different types, all working together.
theconversation.com
‘Star Trek’ and NASA have intertwined legacies – the show championed diversity and inspired generations of real space scientists
60 years of ‘Star Trek’: A cultural anthropologist on how the show’s “infinite diversity in infinite combinations” conception helped shape NASA’s vision of the future.
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C. A. Bridges @cabridges.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
A friend’s father passed and he paid me to go through his father’s house and photograph it as thoroughly as possible so he could remember the last meal he made, the last book he was reading, his hanging clothes, etc. Really touching, cool idea. He refused to let me do it for free.
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C. A. Bridges @cabridges.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
It just occurred to me that I wouldn't have the slightest idea what to with a Chevy at the levee whether it was wet or dry.
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C. A. Bridges @cabridges.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Spent a fair chunk of my afternoon-evening getting my dead car running in a Goodwill parking lot. But at least God promised not to destroy my Corolla by flooding. (Got it going again, finally.)
Double rainbow over a temporarily dead car.
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Cooperstreaming ♿️ @cooperstreaming.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Finally watched 9-5 and it was cute... but fucking exhausting to see that 45 years later we are asking for the same shit in the workplace and haven't gone anywhere. My main takeaway is Jane Fonda has always been that girl. On the right side of everything for longer than I've been alive
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C. A. Bridges @cabridges.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Even if @colbertlateshow.bsky.social has given us nothing else lasting or meaningful, which he has, it still would have been worth it for Stephen Colbert's Americone Dream ice cream.
static.klipy.com
Stephen Colbert Dancing on Stage
Alt: Stephen Colbert dancing on stage.
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C. A. Bridges @cabridges.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Out walking the dog. When we were a fair distance from the house, we passed a street JUST as people there started firing off loud fireworks. The dog *hates* fireworks. From the sound of the yelling, so do the guy’s neighbors. Nevertheless, they continued banging and booming.
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C. A. Bridges @cabridges.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Thrifting got a little out of hand, as we decided to check out Brightline Books in Casselberry. I’d always passed it by before, as ita sign says it’s a Christian bookstore. It does, in fact, have a lot of religious books, of all stripes but mostly Christian. It ALSO has tons of other stuff.
Some of these are from thrift stores, the bulk are from BrightLight. Decent prices and lots of used stuff. Also two Harmony Kingdom pieces, a laddy bug and a chair full of cats.
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C. A. Bridges @cabridges.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Thrifting and found a very-nearly-Spider-Man drum, which I’m sure I need for some reason.
A small, decorated drum with drawings of sort of but not quite Spider-Man.
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P. Djéli Clark | The Disgruntled Haradrim @pdjeliclark.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
The UN general assembly will vote on Friday on a resolution for the world to formally phase out the traditional Mercator map of the globe in favour of one that more accurately displays Africa’s size.
theguardian.com
UN to vote on adopting new world map that shows Africa’s true scale
Togo-sponsored resolution calls to phase out traditional map that depicts continent as similar size to Greenland
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C. A. Bridges @cabridges.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
The White House website has added a video game section. The retro-style games promote Trump policies and allow players to deport immigrants, build a wall Tetris-style, and fly an eagle through the National Mall, among other things.
palmbeachpost.com
Trump White House site debuts retro deportation, MAGA arcade games
The White House has added a video game section to its website, featuring retro, arcade-style games promoting President Donald Trump's policies.
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C. A. Bridges @cabridges.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Florida reports 4th Vibrio vulnificus death of 2026. The state is now up to 20 cases of the infection that can lead to damaged tissue, fast amputations, and death.. Here's how you catch it, and hpow to avoid it.
pnj.com
Florida reports 4 Vibrio vulnificus deaths, 20 cases in latest update
Florida has now reported 20 Vibrio vulnificus cases and four deaths as health officials warn about risks tied to raw oysters and coastal waters.
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Guardian US @us.theguardian.com · 02/09/2026
Apple had been reportedly mulling whether to submit to Trump’s new order after receiving a personal request from the president for the tech company to change the lake’s name
theguardian.com
Apple Maps renames Lake Ontario to ‘Lake America’ for US users after Trump order
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C. A. Bridges @cabridges.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
The state of Florida just said no to Flock cameras, with law enforcement ordered to shut down any of them installed on state roads within 30 days. What happens next?
tallahassee.com
Did Florida turn off all of its Flock cameras? Here's what happened
On Aug. 31, 2026, Florida Department of Transportation ordered all Flock cameras be removed from state roads. Why ALPRs are controversial, what it means.
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C. A. Bridges @cabridges.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
I’m having an emotion.
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C. A. Bridges @cabridges.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
I need to be up in six hours so I’m tapping it for the rest of the #hugoawards. I’ll catch up tomorrow morning. Don’t anyone spoil it. If anyone dies at the end I want to be surprised.
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C. A. Bridges @cabridges.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Ah, Ghostbusters this time. I see we can look forward to science fiction themed music all evening, which is fair and meet. I hope they get to the Space 1999 theme, or Time Tunnel.
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C. A. Bridges @cabridges.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
The #hugoawards walkup music is the Futurama theme song? That’s perfect.
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C. A. Bridges @cabridges.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
#hugosawards The In Memorium music started and then the video cut back out to the logo screen. Not for out-of-the-room viewing?
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C. A. Bridges @cabridges.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Are the Hugos people deliberately leaving @tkingfisher.com out there just to see how long she can keep spouting weird nature TRIVIA? Cuz I’m pretty sure she can filibuster funky fauna facts for WEEKS.
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C. A. Bridges @cabridges.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Hugo Awards now streaming. Sadly, without subtitles. @tkingfisher.com hosting, which is everything I always wanted. She started right in with slime molds, whimsy, and addressing exactly why so many SF folks did not feel comfortable coming to the US.
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Richard Kadrey @richardkadrey.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Happy birthday to the mother of SF, Mary Shelley
a first edition of Frankenstein
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C. A. Bridges @cabridges.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Introduce yourself with 10 acts or bands you’ve seen live. Weird Al George Carlin Aerosmith Kansas Yes Josh Johnson Bon Jovi They Might Be Giants Jonathan Colton Marian Call
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C. A. Bridges @cabridges.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
For those in the middle of a Dolly Parton rewatch, AMC Theaters is showing “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” through Wednesday. “Don't feel sorry for me. I started out poor, and I worked my way up to outcast.”
amctheatres.com
The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas Showtimes
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C. A. Bridges @cabridges.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Really hoping the BTS for last week’s @gamechanger.dropout.tv “Where’s the Catch” episode is just an hour and a half of the creepy fisherman that was cut for time.
Josh Ruben wearing a yellow raincoat, black hat, and disturbingly creepy rictus grin.
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C. A. Bridges @cabridges.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
I feel so seen I’m closing all my curtains.
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Amy Rae Hill @amyraehill.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
You ever read one of the classics that's pretty well-regarded and just think "man, this guy really hated women"
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C. A. Bridges @cabridges.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
A Buffy the Vampire Slayer tribute group is performing “Once More With Feeling” live, among other shows, to raise money for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in honor of her uncredited help in getting both the movie and shows made.
playbill.com
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Musical Once More, With Feeling to Receive Concert Performance Benefiting Dollywood Foundation
A second reading of the episode "Homecoming" will benefit Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.
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barleybap @barleybap.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Our "Meta glasses aren't for perverts" ad campaign is raising a lot of questions already answered by the campaign.
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C. A. Bridges @cabridges.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Day Four of having "Jolene" stuck in my head.
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lyndsay @magpie.tips · 26/08/2026
"what a week, huh?" / "lemon it's Wednesday" meme
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Will McKinley @willmckinley.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
"It's given a lot of people permission to be themselves, to not dream it, be it, which is the motto of the movie, really. I would like to be remembered for that." Farewell to Tim Curry (1946-2026) #RIP
Tim in costume as Dr. Frank-N-Furter
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